Colin Kaepernick's GQ Citizen of the Year Cover Shoot Features a New Version of Pyer Moss 'They Have Names' Shirt

Colin Kaepernick is arguably one of the most talented football players of this generation. In 2016, the quarterback made the courageous decision to kneel during the National Anthem to take a stand against police brutality. His valiant act sparked a national conversation — not around racially-motivated killings by police like he had hoped, but about whether his protest should be considered disrespectful to the military. It should be noted that Kaepernick reportedly consulted veterans before even engaging in said protest, and that they suggested he kneel (as opposed to sitting) as a sign of respect. Also, some of Kaepernick's loudest critics — including Donald Trump — don't respect the military in the ways that matter, as brilliantly expressed by NBA champ and Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry in a recent essay. And furthermore, our military fights for our very right to engage in peaceful protest, which is exactly what Colin — and any American citizen — is exercising when they choose to resist in this manner.

Despite how polarizing Colin's protests are to the American public, he inspired many to take a stand and helped spread awareness about racial injustices committed against people of color. To honor his efforts, GQ has named him "Citizen of the Year", featuring the activist, designer and free agent in a powerful photo shoot surrounded by young black children. In his GQ spread, Colin is seen wearing a powerful custom t-shirt designed by Kerby Jean-Raymond, founder and creative director of Pyér Moss. Colin's t-shirt is a reprise of the iconic "They Have Names" t-shirt, which Kerby first designed in September 2014 to bring awareness to slain victims of police brutality. The acclaimed designer, who often makes political statements with his clothing and presentations, penned an open letter to the fashion industry about racism in the fashion industry, and the need for designers to use their platforms to affect change. Of his t-shirt design for Kaepernick's GQ spread, Kerby said in an Instagram caption: "The unfortunate sequel. I made this custom tee for @kaepernick7 for his @gq shoot. The sad part is how hard it was to to try to pick and fit the names on the shirt. It was too many to fill up both sides and keep in mind these are just people killed by police since I made the last one in 2015." Kerby took a moment to talk to Teen Vogue about his relationship with Colin, the inspiration behind his "They Have Names" t-shirt, and how the narrative surrounding police brutality has changed since its creation.

Teen Vogue: Tell us how the most recent iteration of your t-shirt design came about.

Kerby Jean-Raymond: "Kaep" requested specific designers for this shoot and I was one of them. It’s really humbling. Back before we were making public statements about injustice, Colin and his stylist Rachel Johnson had actively pulled Pyer Moss for his appearances. For this [collaboration], I had a really short window to create something for him and at first, I was going to create something totally new which is more in line with my current aesthetic but Garrett Munce talked me into making “a sequel” to the “They Have Names” shirt I made back in 2014. That shirt went viral immediately after I wore it to one of my shows, then Shiona Turini borrowed it and wore it during the rest of fashion week. Somewhere there, it caught Colin’s attention and he was interested in the brand. We sold that shirt back in 2015 and gave 200% of the proceeds to the ACLU [I matched what we sold]. It was a real turning point for my career.

TV: Why did you think it was so important for Colin to wear this shirt for his GQ shoot?

KJR: Colin is a polarizing figure with an incredibly large platform. He has a very specific message. His fan base and detractors alike know what to expect from him and that is an education about the struggles minorities face in this country everyday. It’s important for him to wear this because it shows that he has not become complicit in the injustices and murders the rest of us have begun to drown out.

TV: You mentioned in your Instagram caption that you designed an earlier version of this shirt back in 2014. How do you think the narrative of the design has changed since your original creation?

KJR: Back in 2014, I was introducing a whole industry to a social injustice, that for the most part, they had no idea existed. It was groundbreaking then. Fast forward to today, everyone knows there's a problem and actionable steps were taken by the public and other celebrities to create dialogue around the movement in 2015-16. But right now, the current political landscape and President are dominating our collective stream of consciousness so this shirt is a reminder that the problem still exists and has actually gotten worse.